


A Game of Time

by Equality_Divided



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-09-01 16:36:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20261164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Equality_Divided/pseuds/Equality_Divided
Summary: The Game of Thrones is over, and thus the rest of the lives of the Men and Women we have met have continued for decades after the fall of Daenerys Targaryen and the rise of Bran The Broken. Narrated from the viewpoint of a historians exploring the ensuing decades; with each chapter exploring the livelihoods of the people who have shaped Westerosi history.  Please enjoy this Chronicle.





	1. The Game Has Ended

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This chapter is from the viewpoint of a historian I have decided to call Stanley. He is writing from the time directly after Bran becomes King as seem in the finale of Game of Thrones. The ensuring Character chapters will take place fifty (50) years after this, and will be from the perspective of a different historian who is adding to this early work by Stanley (or Stan for short). Thanks.

Today marks a mementous occasion, it is a landmark of hierarchical power distribution. Our cournty of Westeros faces a tranformative entity in the aftermath of tyranic brutality and bloodied streets entering our realsim. In fact, from corner to corner - from the North to Dorne and the Westerlands to Kings Landing - our Seven Kingdoms has been forever mutilated and transformed. And the people who harbour livelyhoods in these segments? bastadised bodies sully our rivers and infest our cities. We have faced an era where the smoke of our enemies has turned our skies from blue to ash. 

That is not to say that our period of histroy has been without glimmers of hope. An age of heros and heoines has once again burned into our conciousness as the Long Night once again decended as it was fabled long ago. The image of good versus evil has resurfaced as it must do as the memory of mortals replenishes itself; and we have found the white of light on our faces. 

However, though the crashing of swords has become the symbol of our times, it is our spiritualism that has drifted away from us. We have lost one of our most sacrid of religious monuments - The Great Sept of Baelor. Scortched and decemated though its site now is, I was fortunate enough to see so for myself, we can now regroup and reaffirm our belief in the seven to guide us into the future. 

But we must ask ourselves where do our relgious convections stand in the entering of a new cycle of life? Can the Gods offer any solice when so many of us have faced such carnage from our leaders of the once great houses, the bitter winter, and the army of the dead? Can we thrive and regrow when so many of our families, friends, and neighbours have been allowed to wilt? We must look to this direction from no less that His Royal Highness, King Brandon Stark the first of his name. Though he has been ceremoniously proclaimed Bran The Broken. 

The coomon folk I have been honoured to meet, shake hands, kiss cheeks with have unanimously pondered upon the same idea; what right to the - now metephorical - Iron Throne does the crippled son of the former traitor Ned Stark have? Have our nobles forgotten how his father's execution spiralled our Kingdoms into the War of the Five Kings which provided no respite for the innocent even after the bells of our capital tolled for salvation? Did our new King slash swords in our defence? Did he cut down the dead who infested his home? No records seem to claim he has done either. In fact, no claim places him as a potential occupent to the helm of the people. 

We are looking into the eyes of change and though we may rejoice from the thatch on our homes cindering no more, we still face much uncertaintly. Gone are the days of birthrights and balances of power. Gone are the days of nobles leading through responsibility and duty. Now our Kings are elected through minimal majority by the class who left your children to starve, your women to bleed, and your men to perish. In the name of starving, bleeding, and perishing each other. 

But Bran the Broken did not starve anyone, bleed anyone, or kill. Nor did he protect, condemn, or assist. My conclusion, We are being led by a hypocrtic through silence. Unelectable to all but those who butchered the last true Targeryan and banished the other next best thing, his own brother no less. And now we must bow to this man. This boy. Will he able to bring a strong authority like King Robert? Will he be as inept as King Joffrey? As Naive as King Tommen? Or must we summount ourselves to grovel at the feet of this child whos only credetial is that he is less barbaric than Queen Cersei and more centralistic than Queen Daenerys. Only time will tell.

As I have said, we are at a turning point in our collective history. The North has isolated itself and our King has allowed it. A sell sword is Lord of Highgarden and besmirches the Tyrell name. House Arryn is being led by a man as good as an infant. A sodomite is Lady of the Iron Irelands. Dorne has been splintered from its past and legacy as it already is from the rest of our continent geographically, and The tretcharus Imp now stands at the pinecale of power in Kings Landing and the Westerlands. Also, may histroy quickly wipe away the memory of Kings Robert's bastard inheriting Stormsend. 

I must formally welcome your to the new Westerosi order, this is the age of Starks, magical children, and the burying of our dead. We can only pray we do not decend into chaos in the next fifth years.


	2. Brandon Stark, King of Westeros

{Written fifty years after the Long Night}

It is with a heavy heart, though not for many, that the sands of time have at ran its cause with King Brandon Stark, King of Westeros, Protector of the Realm, King of the Andals and the First Men. The curtain has fallen upon fifty years of relative peace, prosperity, and unfathomable change. From this day forth our Kingdom must turn its attention to the future ruler of what once was the Seven Kingdoms (in actuality there were nine dating back to the Targaryen Conquest), but is now a Kingdom of six sectionals. However, in order to interpret our present and future it is vital we indulge in the past reign of none other than Bran The Broken. 

Fifty years ago, a scholar and historian by the name of Stanley Phyre, penned a brief yet damning account of Westeros in the aftermath of a series of wars of succession and the invasion of the Army of the Dead. It is a piece that reflects the emotional response clearly emanating from the general populace at the time; I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to examine the emotional and perhaps human revulsion to the conclusion to what a fellow Old Town historian has dubbed - 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. There texts were written and published simultaneously. 

I wish to build further upon the works of these men in exploring the lives of the figures that survives the trials and tribulations of these events; figures who have played an instrumental role in the rebuilding of our Kingdom. 

It is worth acknowledging that the period of history we have experienced over the last fifty years has been dominated by figures from various locations across our continent, with the balance of power (a fact not lost upon any historian willing to hastily examine the life of our departed monarch) distributed away from Kings Landing for one of the only times since the Continents unification by Aegon the Conquer. Leaders have emerged to reshape the political landscape, from Queen Sansa in the North, Queen Arianne Martell of Dorne, to Jon Targaryen North of the Wall. These figures will all be explored in due course. 

Although, for now we must content ourselves with diving deep into the reign and its lasting legacies of King Brandon Stark, the man to whom this chapter is dedicated. 

Stanley Phyre laments of the bizarre situation it was to find Brandon Stark upon the throne, it is well documented that he was both a surprising and also controversial selection to helm the continent in the aftermath of a tumultuous couple of decades of Westerosi history. His selection was also controversial simply the nature of a monarch being selected at all, a stance that firmly altered the dynamics of the balance of power exponentially. It allowed for a swift shift from a Monarchy under divine right under the laws of inheritance to a form of democratic oligarchy between the domineering class. Phyre is perhaps wrong is stating this shift was made of momentary madness, when in fact, this erosion of traditional power had eroded greatly under the ascension of Queen Cersei.

Cersei Lannister individually had no technical right to the throne, her blood relations had held no ancestral canonical place in the history of our Monarchs prior. Controversially, it was through her children: Kings Joffrey and Tommen of (officially) House Baratheon, that Cersei inherited her crown. This was setting a precedent in and of itself. Never before had such an extreme exodus of Westeros's noble lineage left the Monarchy with such a crisis of succession. Moreover, under King Robert, to whom Cersei was married, there seemed to be no end of heads awaiting the throne. Robert himself, in creating a new royal house following the fall of the Targaryen Dynasty, left no less than six possible claimants to the throne. These being his two, then believed, natural born sons who would ascend the throne: Joffrey and Tommen Baratheon, but also his supposed natural daughter Myrcella Baratheon, his brothers Stannis and Renly Baratheon, an his niece Shireen Baratheon. However, by the time Cersei found herself on the Iron Throne all of these possible relations were dead - she was simply the closest relation through blood and marriage. But while this explains how the Kingdom was veering away from rulers by inheritance, it does not explain how Brandon Stark came by the mantle of king. 

The legal alternative to ruling through inheritance is winning the crown through violence. King Robert being the most notable example of such. Furthermore, the Targaryen's also set a precedent for interfamilial violence for the crown, such as the Dance of Dragons - the Targaryen civil war. But once again we must find that Brandon Stark not only did not have the blood lineage to take the throne, a Stark had never before sat upon the Iron Throne, but he also did not take the throne by force. Brandon Stark won by popular vote alone and it was enough to appease to nobles and the people alike. 

While it is understandable how the general populace were eventually accepting of the new order of power. They were a bitter force who had survived military recruitment and warfare, pillaging and destruction, ineffective monarch after ineffective monarch, some faced religious persecution under the rise of the High Sparrow, starvation, domestic terrorism, and finally dragon fire - they demanded peace and the chance of prosperity. The populace at the time was very much a swarm of uneducated masses under serfdom. However, they were versed enough in the family trees of the ruling families, made easier by them shrinking by the year, to understand that a Stark had never ruled a united Westeros before and so was a perfect choice to maneuver away from the Lannister or Baratheon lineages that had caused such misery. In retrospect we know this was not necessarily true, despite the Starks honourable personas it has been the new Kings father, Ned Stark, who has caused the chain reaction which led to war with his death, and his brother Robb Stark, King in the North who heavily contributed to the destruction of the Riverlands. Plus, the inner workings of the noble families is harder to determine. 

Approximately six weeks after the murder of Queen Daenerys Targaryen by her nephew Jon Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister, a council of the remaining Lords and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms convened to initially decide what would be the next step forward. Members of this council included Brandon Stark himself, his sisters Sansa and Arya Stark, Robin Arryn (their maternal cousin), Garin of Norvos (a Martell cousin who held the title Prince of Dorne following the deaths of Ellaria sand and her daughters, and the male Martell lineage, until Arianne Martell made her claim), Edmure Tully (the Stark's uncle), Howland Reed, Gendry Baratheon, Yara Greyjoy, as well as Samwell Tarly, Yohn Royce, Ser Brienne of Tarth, and Ser Davos Seaworth. What is immediately clear is just how many Stark relations and supporters are present, thus creating an automatic majority despite their cousins slaughter of the prior Queen. Additionally, the ascension of Brandon Stark, under the nomination of the murder accomplice Tyrion Lannister, was unanimously supported by the council including his sister Sansa Stark, Queen in the North who called for a separate North simultaneously. 

But that begs the question, why did the other Lords and Ladies support his claim? We know that the only other suggested claimant was Edmure Tully who was promptly dismissed. Why didn't Yara Greyjoy and Garin of Norvos also make bids for separation? The evidence shows that it was more fickle than we could hope for - there was a demand for peace. Every member of said council had fallen victim to the events they survived and as such a need to a quiet ruler was more needed than ever before. There was no desire for a strong leader, a leader with charisma or charm, a leader with experience or love for the people. In effect our leaders caved in to the desire for peace and tranquility for a generation. Let alone the end of separationist ideology between populace and magic which ended with his appointment. 

The benefits of looking back at this decision means we have the luxury of cheering or jeering at how well their impulsive decision making has turned out, and we can inform you now - now you have sat through a cocktail of boring exploration and information you already knew - that it was a mixed bag overall. The way I will break down the reign of Brandon Stark is by not underlining every detail of his reign but highlighting and showcasing the various events and tones that have become its characteristics and retrospective legacy. 

The first major conflict that ensued happened but a year after his coronation, which was a private affair with only 200 attendees (50 nobles and loyalists with 100 members of the merchant class domestic and international, and 50 members of the general populace who were mostly made up of survivors of the sacking of the capital). The source of the disturbance so early in his reign is easy to exhume as it is the appointment of Ser Bronn of the Blackwater to Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the Reach. I am sure you are aware of the eradication of much of the Tyrell line under the reign of Queen Cersei. Mace Tyrell along with his children Loras and Queen Margaery Tyrell were some of the victims of the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor, and Olenna Tyrell died during the sacking of Highgarden. Once the war had been ended and Bran the Broken took the throne, his hand of the king, Tyrion Lannister, named Ser Bronn the Master of Coin (a role most notably held by Lord Baelish). This class blind distribution of roles caused fury within the noble houses of the Reach, many who had been starch loyalists to the Tyrell family and had lost relatives, men, and supplies to the Lannister rule. Within a year they united in opposition of this appointment, and thus first laid siege to Highgarden before storming the castle within a month. It is unclear what Brandon thought of this, he never clarified a position but he never disputed the appointment of Ser Bronn or his acquiring of Highgarden. Nevertheless, the Lords of the Reach sentenced Ser Bronn to death for fraudulent behaviour. Consequently, while his wife, Illaine Leygood, was allowed to leave; Ser Bronn was executed. The rallying point of the rebellion of the Reach was Garlan Tyrell, who was the heir to Highgarden following the death of his elder brother Willas Tyrell in the sack of Highgarden. At this point he was the last of the core Tyrell family. We know that Brandon made no attempt to dispute the actions of the reach and no retribution was acted upon. Garlan became Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the Reach, and his brother in law, the brother of his wife Leonette Fossoway, Horas Fossoway became the successive Master of Coin thus showing Brandon's effective support of the Reach's act of rebellion. 

The next political dispute arose from Dorne but five years into his reign. Since the deaths of Doran, Quentyn, and Trystane Martell as well as Ellaria Sand and three of her daughters to Oberyn Martell; Garin of Norvos had been the effective Prince of Dorne as a maternal cousin to the Martell family. Upon taking the throne, largely due to his support of his claim, Brandon made every attempt to support this new Prince. Perhaps it was due to the backlash of losing the North immediately after his election perhaps not, but records show a great attempt to keep Dorne within the Six Kingdoms. This was disrupted when the last surviving child of Doran Martell, Arianne Martell, returned from exile where she had been since Ellaria has overthrown and murdered her family. Local rumour claims she appeared on the horizon, a tiny dot far out as sea which grew bigger and bigger. Crowds flocked to the coast as news spread of Martell coat of arms heading towards Sunspear. It is also said Arianne simply disembarked from the ship and the crowd parted for their returning Princess. She took the hands of individuals she met and the crowd marched with her towards the castle. Now, texts dispute whether or not the guards of the castle left their posts to escort her into the throne room but what is clear is that she faced little to no resistance as she led the crowd of cheering Dornish men and women towards her fathers throne. Witness reports claim Ggarin was lounged upon a pile of cushions eating grapes when he was first made aware of the Princesses return. Little is know of what his immediate reaction was but many insist that when Arianne Martell stood before him, a vision of regal resilience, Garin of Norvos fell to his knees and told her he had been keeping Doren safe as they all awaited her return. 

Unlike the political acceptance of the shift in power in the Reach, Tyrion Lannister, not under the orders of Brandon the Broken, sent men to the border of Dorne with the explicit message that Arianne's return would only be tolerated as long as she abided by the same system of control as her predecessor. Arianne, I response, is believed to have sent a lone donkey with a sign around its neck with Tyrion's name on it. Ser Podrick Payne reported that it came with the message that 'his majesty King Brandon should accept Dornish independence in the name of their rightful Queen - or it would be taken by the force, by the people of Dorne'. A week later, Dornish goods were no longer being exported and the people were throwing a festival to celebrate their independence. It was only when Tyrion Lannister, himself, announced that Dorne had been allowed to follow in the footsteps of the North and enjoy the liberties of independence, by the honour of King Brandon, that the trading of goods resumed. 

Much of Brandon Stark's reign was quiet, providing the peace and tranquility the Lords and Ladies of Westeros had voted for. Even with the loss of two of the biggest sectionals of the Kingdom and a large overdraft of debt to the Bank of Braavos still lingering even from the reign of King Robert. As a result, Brandon became synonymous with a frugality that was uncharacteristic of the other monarchs in recent memory. He would only hold one tourney a year and it would be held to celebrate the unity of the sectionals he had left. Within twenty years of his ascension, the treasury was beginning to find itself towards prosperity. 

Thirty years after his reign began he faced a small coup of Ironborn who infiltrated the Red Keep to assassinate him. Their reasoning being, they felt the Iron Irelands were not being represented in government as much as the Westerlands, the Riverlands, the Stromlands, the Vale, and the Reach. Also, the Iron Irelands were being capped on being able to thrive economically due to the North cornering the fishing markets. The coup was unsuccessful and the five men and women were found guilty of attempted treason and sent to the wall. However, Brandon did not rectify the situation or elevate the frustration. In fact it was Yara Greyjoy, Lady of the Iron Islands, who met with Sansa Stark, Queen in the North, to negotiate fishing quotas and limitations. The issue shall be delved into in a chapter dedicated to Yara Greyjoy but I can confirm the issue was very successful without the Kings aid. The main legacy of the issue for King Brandon is that it became yet another example of his ineffective leadership, and his only successes being what he didn't do - such a spend astronomical amounts. 

In his later years, calls for him to marry had faded away, potential wives seeking familial dvancements had given up and the pool of choice had been slim from the moment his reign began. The only major consideration, made by Tyrion Lannister and not the king, had been to a prominent woman from the Westerlands, Jayne Westerling - a marital consideration for his brother Robb Stark. She was a few years older than the king and the movement was propelled more so by her family and Tyrion seeking influence than by any form of mutual interest or even attraction. Soon the matter was dropped when Jayne is reported to have told her father to stop embarrassing their family name. 

Unsurprisingly, the eventual result of the kings confinement to a wheelchair meant he became obese in his later years. A diplomat from Braavos claimed he was concerned the king might be suffering from gout by the time he was fifty. There is no report that he ever suffered gout, his overall lifestyle did not support the ailment. However, his health did start to decline rapidly within a few years. 

For the last few years of this life he is said to have done very little, he would sit at his desk - seemingly - where he would be warging. There is no definitive knowledge of what animals the king favoured to warg into, the favourite seems to be the ravens being sent with messages across his kingdom. In his final days he grew increasingly weary but never delirious. Apparently sound of mind, he would ask anyone he met whether or not they thought he had been able to fly in his lifetime. 

He died almost fifty years to the day since the council had elected him to be our King. For nearly fifty years few had contested his crown, many were critical of his leadership and I am quite sure many will find my assessment of his tenure to be too soft of a man that was meant to give us a fresh start. My response to that is simple. He gave us our lives back. He gave the ensuing generations the ability to dream again instead of cowering. He gave us a form of national healing by allowing our every whim. He didn't slaughter us or give us to the zealots and or that I am grateful but I will never claim to believe Bran the Broken was a king that will be remembered as a king anyone truly asked for. 

May he rest in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will focus on Sansa Stark during her life as Queen in the North.


	3. Sansa Stark, Queen in the North

A local eyewitness to the momentous occasion tells of how she glided into the hall of her ancestral home, a vision of liberty and independence. The day was mild, snow now only compressed against the high walls of Winterfell for keen watchers barely blinked as they awaited the arrival of their new queen. The day signaled a months passing since her brother had been nominated as King and she had seized an independent North from the other sectionals of Westeros. 

The crowd was silent, a pin was heard hitting the courtyard stones that had seen so much. It had seen the arrival of King Robert Baratheon and future monarchs Joffrey, Tommen, and Cersei. It laid witness to the betrayal by Theon Greyjoy and then the rise and fall of the Bolton's as wardens of the North. King Jon and Queen Daenerys had conjoined dynasties there. The Army of the dead had scrambled across it and were defeated. It held history as history was made. 

She arrived as the sun broke over the castles walls. Eyewitnesses claim they blinked as the sun invaded their vision; and as the light receded the suns glow was replaced by the glow of her hair. A vision of hope that had become liberty and self sustenance - Sansa Stark flowed passed her adoring subjects. Some bowed and some cheered, children peered from under their mothers skirts and from under their woolen hats; it was as if the cold had been shattered by her presence. 

The trumpets began their song as she entered the ancestral halls that had welcomed many a King in the North, but never a Queen. The remaining Lords and Ladies of the North were few, the lines of succession for many had led to children and grandchildren inheriting vast estates. One castle is reported to have been given to the people who had fled as the army of the dead slaughtered their families and neighbours. Sansa Stark united them all under one direction, under one Stark - the symbols of her family appeared across her coronation dress. References to her father and mother Eddard and Catelyn Stark, her siblings Robb, Brandon, Arya, and Rickon. It heralded the protection of the Old Gods and as such the protection of the Northern identity divided and divorced from the Southerners her brother now helmed. 

A crown of wolves caught the sun as the Queen in the North took her place as leader of a new country in the new world we were about to build. 

I can say with ease that that day was a culmination of events that defined her livelihood. She had been a girl who had been a captive, a witness to her fathers execution, a whipping toy for King Joffrey and wife to two monsters - Tyrion Lannister, hand of the King for King Joffrey and King Brandon, and Ramsay Bolton. She had endured violence and familial slaughter. She had survived the Great War and the Long Night while providing comfort and security to the people of her country who had experience intolerable hardship at the hands of foreign rulers. Some would culminate that her youth was spent growing into a woman of unimaginable and unattainable strength and power under the very public figures that descended our country into turmoil, a turmoil she was dedicated to eradicate. 

Sansa is a figure of particular interest to any historian who wishes to indulge in the breaking of convention while also exploring the factors that cause such a split in an individuals reliance upon the acceptable social order. Sansa Stark has never married and now a woman in her seventies it is likely she never will. A historian some twenty years ago claimed she is 'a rose as pure as if it were weaved by the hands of the crone herself'. Can we believe Sansa is a pillar of purity or has even based her marital arrangements upon such notions? I find that she has not. Firstly, it is well documented that her marriage to Ramsay Bolton was one fueled by sexual violence, rendering traditional notions of sexual 'purity' obsolete. Secondly, it is reasonable to believe her grace has built the motif of spinsterism in order to differentiate herself from the demands of marriage and thus ownership that characterised her youth. We must recognise that Sansa Stark was effectively sold to both of her husbands as bartering tools and so that is the foundation in which she seemingly approaches marital relations. She has abandoned the notion marriage is a source of necessity and has implemented such ideas into her rule.

The cheers for their Queen rang into the dusk as the people rejoiced under the banner of a better tomorrow. 

The characteristics of her early reign were some of intense scrutiny. How would she founder international relations with her brother and fellow monarch? Would she marry and effectively birth a dynasty? How would she rebuild her Queendom? She would answer these questions swiftly for she would broker great deals with her brother, never marry but create a dynastic-like legacy none the less, and has allowed the North to thrive once more as one of the largest economic forces on the continent. 

The security of trade between an independent North was negotiated within a year of their respective coronations. Legislature for fishing rights for the North were secured, fruit and wines were also secured with ease; especially while Dorne remained a sectional of her brothers Kingdom and once the Reach began to prosper under Tyrell rule once more. A landmark motion was agreed after two years where the Nights Watch would remain active while still acting as a judicial force. However, Sansa demanded that it face heavy reforms to ensure criminality was not rewarded and it's allegiance was predominantly to the North and to her as opposed to serving the South in any official capacity. This led to a freedom of travel for the Nights Watch through the two countries. 

The pressure of marriage was one that did not plague Queen Sansa for long. Her leading advisor Lyra Mormont, daughter of Maege Mormont who perished for defying Bolton rule, and sister of Dacey and Lyanna Mormont - the former perishing at the Red Wedding with King Robb Stark and the latter to the army of the dead during the Long Night. Her other sister Alysane became Lady of Bear Island. Lyra's advice was always to avoid marriage unless it provided social or political benefits. The more powerful Northern Lords such as Gawen Glover, Benjicot Branch, Ollo Bole, Cregan Karstark, Wyman Manderly, and Hother Umber argued contentiously that she should marry at the earliest time possible to secure a political future for the North. Some historical letters suggest that alongside Lyra Mormont; other women who had inherited Northern land - Jayne Poole, a childhood friend of Sansa, Beth Cassel, Meera Reed, Alix Umber, and Shiree Hornwood all wrote letters praising the queen for withholding marital advances. Such advances were made by Howland Burley and Benjen Cerwyn to name a few, but suitors arrived from the South as well as from Essos to seek the hand of the newly minted monarch. 

History has shown us that not only has Queen Sansa remained unwed, and thus childless and without heir, it has become prudent of some to call her the 'Queen as virgin as first snow'. While discussing prudency it is apt to discuss how the shape of succession has shaped with such developments as the South prepares to elect it's second consecutive monarch. As a monarch without heir, husband, or immediate male relatives some has come to speculate how the throne will pass when the queen does indeed pass on. The passing of King Brandon has meant the queen is the last surviving child of Ned Stark; as her brother Robb died at the Red Wedding, her brother Rickon was killed by Ramsay Bolton, and her sister Arya died in a shipwreck but three years ago. At one time it would have then fallen upon Jon Snow-Targaryen as her bastard brother, now recognised as her cousin, but it would prove to be a controversial suggestion that could alienate the Northern power base to nominate a man who was once King in the North, the executioner of Daenerys Targaryen, and now the Lord Beyond the Wall. The suggestion in Old Town is that of the crown falling to the Karstark family, a cousin branch, now helmed by Arthor Karstark which may prove to be an unpopular choice. If these options are unavailable it is likely a system of nomination may be adopted in the North, however, this may also cause controversy as the belief is still widely held that a Stark should rule the North. 

The question of succession has been on the minds of many for decades as King Brandon remained her heir and as such risked the immediate unification of the countries upon her death. While this has now been quelled, it summarised a great fear of the North to ensure their independence is long lasting. 

The first female Maester, Maester Nuella, has suggested that the North should continue to be ruled exclusively by women. As the queen has no female direct relations so to speak - the closest being Arthor Karstark's daughter Daria Karstark - a system of nomination by the queen or by council may secure a female successor by nomination. The notion has picked up a large following since its suggestion, and it is alleged, has become a serious avenue. 

However, the succession possibility wouldn't hold nearly the weight had Sansa Stark not been such an effective ruler, the particulars of which we have highlighted but now we have to examine:

Unlike her brother, King Brandon, who we have concluded was predominately an ineffective ruler, Queen Sansa has been quite the opposite. From using her coronation for symbolic reassurance to her political actions both domestic and beyond; she has left a legacy that looms beyond all others. 

We have discussed her immediate successes in securing effective partnerships with her brother but he was not the only one who she successfully negotiated with. Beyond the wall, the Free Folk were establishing themselves in their settlements once more. Sansa promised unconditional aid and equipment to do so, albite it be once her subjects had concluded restorations. Moreover, her funded helped rebuild Hardholme to become the first major settlement north of the wall and the first with links to elsewhere in the continent. Some historians believe this has done more to introduce the Free Folk to the continent than any other single act.

The conversion of Dorne into an independent country was met with much more warmth from the North than what remained of her brothers Kingdoms, and while Sansa made no attempt to intervein between another female monarch and her ex-husband and brother, it is widely believed that the offer of non-violent assistance was offered in the case of a conflict. Also, the reality of two female independent rulers within Westeros has caused a great friendship between Arianne and Sansa that has caused the greatest act of strength between the North and Dorne in recorded history - the 50th anniversary of Princess Elia Martell's death was attended by Sansa while a thousand ravens were freed to smother the skies over Winterfell. 

Sansa Stark's attendance at the religious festival celebrating the canonisation of Margaery Tyrell as the regional representation of the Maid at Highgarden; also garnered a wealth of support. It was instrumental in the deal to have the Reach to provide food for the North when the crop failure - twenty years into her reign - occurred. 

It was after such events that she was condemned by a Maester to be overtly meddling in forging affairs. The accusation framed the queen as a schemer under the tutorship of Peter Baelish. The effect was immediate in resurrecting other counter arguments aligning her with the men around her, namely the Lannister Dynasty, the Bolton's, and Littlefinger himself. However, a statement claiming a strong series of international relations would be the most effective method of growth for the North was her only call to action was made. The same statement also confronted old arguments of nationalist segregation being harmful by claiming independence and cohesion were real and possible under her rule. 

These were not empty words either, as in the face of national humiliation for her Brother by Yara Greyjoy, another female leader seeking independence, Sansa herself made the move to quell aggression on the Iron Islands by meeting with Yara herself. A negotiation was slower than the other successes but concluded that the North would raise its threshold for fishing to provide wider waters for their fishing market, but only upon consideration that no more could be offered due to the islands small scale in comparison to the North. The deal also became conditional that the islands did not risk this economic help by seeking independence as, again, for scale independence may be futile. Despite the quelling of the problem Tyrion Lannister, growing darker in his later years, took this as an affront to the Kingdoms leadership. It was thus revealed he had been the orchestrator of the social commentary against her. The relations between Sansa and her once admirable ex-husband have not been repaired. 

The possible scandals were not stemmed there as a woman at court, Wynafryd Manderly, now the Lady of White Harbour, was imprisoned for a time for marrying without royal permission. Her marriage to Eddard Karstark, son of Arthor Karstark, was attended by only one witness, Wanda Lake, who died shortly afterwards. It is very likely the political influence of such a match as well as Sansa's own in adverted avoidance of marriage was also a cause for the imprisonment. While both Wynafryd and Eddard were imprisoned, Wynafryd was found to be pregnant with a son, Rickard Karstark - another possible successor to Sansa herself. Wynafryd's father Wyman Manderly's inststance upon her release saw her and her son placed in house arrest in Winterfell while Eddard fell sick and died. Wynafryd stayed under house arrest for two more years before being released under the condition her son was named a bastard. This is but one event that has left a surprising amount of women in her court without marriages of their own, it has become customary. 

A health scare when Sansa was in her 50's caused a great deal of worry for her council for the Northern lords as, as we have stated, the fear of King Brandon securing the North loomed large. The panic lasted a week and the queen fell ill on the Monday and showed no sign of recovery until the Sunday. Her chief ladies, Jayne Poole, Veera Forrester, the daughter of Beth Cassel, Talia Burley, and Mable Cerwyn all cared for the queen for days and nights. A letter from Veera to Arya Hornwood tells of how they wiped sweat from her fading red hair, her thinning eyelids flickered as if struggling for light to reach them. However, on the Sunday the fever broke and the queen awoke from her coma. 

Furthermore, with the recent passing of her brother, it is considerable loss that is, and always was, a looming aspect of her grace's life. Only four years ago her trusted friend and advisor Lyra Mormont died. Her passing has been synonymous with the generation in which Sansa exists passing on, and the tides of time wash the hero's of the Long Night away. It was suggested by Maester Adwiggton that Sansa and Lyra may be lovers but that has been completely denounced as fiction by the mind of a man seeking to sexualise the female leaders of our continent. Her funeral was a quiet affair, mimicking the no frills lifestyles Lyra indulged in her life. The queen is said to have taken the loss heavily. This is reflected in her taking no less than three key advisors in the ensuing years: Robert Cassel, son of Beth Cassel, Edwin Branch, and for the past two years it was been Brienna Reed, daughter of Rudrick Ironsmith and wife of Joren Reed. 

Today, Queen Sansa Stark, is in mourning for the death of her last sibling. She survives as a woman destined to rule at the side of her husband but has arisen to lead her people into a new era of political power. It would apt to register the overwhelming successes that has thus far characterised her reign, and will most likely continue in a similar vein for as long as her reign endures. History shall forever continue to look upon Sansa Stark, Queen in the North, as a leader who inspired a populace and been instrumental in the evolution of Westeros as a continent and a post-feudal system of governance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next person I will be doing will either be Arya Stark or Tyrion Lannister!


	4. Arya Stark

What is West of Westros? The question has plagued historians, Maesters, and explorers alike. It has kindled a flicker of interest in children for centuries as they uncover the vast regions of our known world. However, the question has been definitively connected to none other than Arya Stark. Daughter of beheaded Eddard 'Ned' Stark and Catelyn Stark and third surviving child along with Queen Sansa and King Brandon. Little is known of much of her life and as a senior figure of the ruling House Stark; she remained ever elusive within her lifetime. The sources I have utilised to conduct this chapter are mostly fables and tales handed down through what has become the legend that surrounds the youngest Stark. 

Her childhood was born far from convention and her character fares in a way that suits its unconventional stylings. Raised for her first eleven years within the walls and security of Winterfell, the narrative of much of the next decade of her life is readily documented in the acclaimed text, 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. Following the execution of her father, an event that she is believed to have attended in secret, in Kings Landing, her explorations are largely unknown. Stories tell of the Stark girl travelling with the Nights Watch, hiding in Harrenhal during the War of the Fire Kings, banding with The Brotherhood Without Banners and Sandor Clegane, also known as the Hound. Legend also claims she was at the Twins during the Red Wedding, trained to be a Faceless Man in Braavos, ordered or partook in the massacre of the Frey Family, executed Petyr Baelish, and killed the Night King - ushering in the end to The Long Night. Her youth can be found in bloody whispers that lead her from Lady of Winterfell to a Hero of a Generation. 

However, the life and times of Arya Stark do not fundamentally end with the heroic actions that define her youth within the Game of Thrones. Never a pawn to be utilised within the wider board, in fact, never individually altering the larger game as a whole, she looms large due to her effective independence which brought in the successive chapters of her life. Arya was present at the election that saw her siblings being made monarchs and her cousin being officially outlawed. One could wonder how a legendary figure could cultivate almost fifty years of life when her actions were already praised in taverns up and down the continent. Then she set sail. 

She has not been the first to sail across the Sunset Sea; many an exploration has been undertaken, some predating even Aegon's Conquest. The most notable and well documented explorers being Elissa Farman who journey west from Oldtown in 56AC and founded the islands of Aegon, Rhaeny's, and Visenya. Rhaeny's herself even claimed to have dreamt of travelling west of the continent. Elissa continued west of the three islands. They are said to be tropics of life and nature not found anywhere else in the world, she docked there to repair her ship before continuing into the unknown. Elissa was never seen or heard of again. The only rumoured record is from another explorer who travelled East to Asshai and allegedly saw her ship, 'Sun Chaser'. The fate of Elissa herself remains unknown. An even earlier explorer was also a Stark, Brandon the Shipwreck, travelled West and was similarly never seen again. His son ended Seafaring in the North as a result, a practice Arya Stark aided to revigorated herself. 

Therefore, the history of sailing into the unknown seas to the West of Weseros has not fared well for those who have attempted it, and this seemed to be the definitive pattern many believed Arya would find herself. The best alternative seemed to be her finding her way East to Asshai like Elissa before her.

A mere two weeks following the election and the splintering of the North, Arya set sail from Bear Island, a choice that is believed to have angered her sister who's coronation she left unattended. As little is known about much of her voyage as is known about much of her life. It is believed she then travelled to The Lonely Light, an island geographically isolated from the rest of Westeros and whos dominion falls under that of House Greyjoy. The inhabiting family being House Farwynds, a family of questionable decent through possible incestual relations due to their isolation from the continent. This may also be the source of their alleged madness. Nevertheless, Arya is believed to have visited House Farwynds for at least a night before venturing onwards to where the maps lose coverage. 

The crew of her ship, small initially, grew smaller still from fifteen to six as confidence in her expedition plummeted. A member who chose dissent is reported to have heard chants naming her a 'stupid, witless child' among jeers and hurls of spit. The member claims she remained calm in the face of these men and despite his disagreement with the voyage, 'will always remember the way she looked in that moment. Calm, still, but so alert. She let them scream and yell before she raised her hand and silence fell over us all. I remember the sound of her voice when she told us, with ease, that any person worth their salt should stay but anyone willing to disembark should do so. I made my choice.'. The members who remained included four men and two women. 

Her right hand woman being Ramone Essaenor from Volantis, she had spent five years studying the stars and the maps in order to make a name for herself. The years she had spent studying had also been spent as a young Salt Wife to a travelling, wayward Ironborn Lord. When he died of consumption she travelled to his family home on the Iron Islands where she was shamed for being a whore as well as a witch. His mother mysteriously died shortly after. Ramone, in an account of her life, tells of how she stole a ship in the night of her mother-in-laws funeral and sailed the seas as a pirate until she met Arya Stark on Bear Island. The years she spent pirating and pillaging are for another time but her contribution to this voyage were unparalleled. 

From The Lonely Light, Arya and her small band continued across the Sunset Sea. We know for a fact that a storm subsequently derailed their journey and blew them, rather ironically, towards Rhaeny's Isle, which any geographer is aware is much further south. Similarly to Elissa before her, Arya spent a short period of time repairing her ship before continuing Westwards at last. The journey west was mostly undocumented, the crew who were asked agreed it was mostly quiet and contemplative. 

The band found a whirlpool encased in rocks, now referred to as the Pool of Souls, which is widely believed to have been the leading cause of the disappearances of past explorers, however, it does lend itself that the positioning both Arya and Elissa both made their course that they were able to avoid falling victim to it. 

Approximately Six weeks after disembarking from Rhaeny's, open seas and skies rolling as far as the eye could see, Ramone saw it. A spec upon the horizon, a spec that offered a plethora of speculation. Hours stretched before them, their eyes fixed upon the spec as it grew and morphed into the shape of land. From the land came sand, trees, prosperity. Life beyond their known world. 

Dropping anchor, the band of explorers, Arya Stark the hero of the Long Night, had found new land. 

Most of our available information upon this unchartered new land has been collected in the ensuing years after this groundbreaking discovery. However, we do know that Arya's band of explorers were the first to collect plant samples signifying a variety of life never before seen. The earliest maps highlighting the scale of this new world were also created during this time, though they have been thoroughly dismissed and built upon in the ensuing decades. It is consequently undeniable that Arya's voyage was a success. 

History has remembered this as yet another pioneering phase of her remarkable life, a testament to the resilience that characterised her rebellious nature. 

Arya made many voyages back to her land, now widely called Ardya in the East in reference to the infamous hero herself. However, the name has, and still is, heavily disputed. Ramone, forty years post this voyage, a trip she never made again as she has tried and sentenced for piracy in Dorne staked a claim of the name. She disputed that it had been her, and not Arya, who spotted the Island first; and as such it should be named after her. 

The indigenous people who inhabit Ardya stake a claim fortified by centuries of undisrupted existence. A collective of tribal communities often known to ride long haired, striped, horses have lived from the fertile, fruit laden biome. They have long since known the land as Tuchia; while they themselves are the Tuchi. 

As this is indeed a record of the life of Arya Stark it is prudent to understand the remaining years of her life and her ensuing connection to her family and homeland. 

It was the court of her sister, Queen Sansa, that Arya pressed and presented her findings with the expressed permission to take a fleet to uncover more information of the land. She was permitted five more ships and men to explore the new land further. Despite most of our information being provided by the Tuchi people in terms of geography, history, and culture, Weserosi travellers have been instrumental in relaying the information and contents of this new world to Essos and Asshai. 

The Tuchi people are nomadic by nature, having a series of stationary villages that the various tribes rotate to during the year. They prefer to follow the sun and moon cycles as opposed to mapping their territories. They also do not fundamentally believe in roles pertaining to gender and as such women and men do work based on enjoyment as opposed to biologically determined ideals. Spiritually, they are one of the few Godless collectives who do not believe in prayer or worship but in loving and caring for the cycles nature has provided; everything in their culture revolves around the shape of the circle. 

Arya Stark, on her fourth voyage, six years after the election of her brother and her first exploration, chose to live among the Tuchi people. She wished to live a life unbound by social order where gender did not play a decisive upon the livelihoods of the individual. She lived among them for a decade without making contact to her Westerosi family. It is reported Queen Sansa believed her to be dead along with the others. During this time she met the Tuchi man who she would marry, an act she claims shocked even herself but has everything to do with the relationship being fundamentally unbridling to women. 

The man, Otskai, and Arya are known to have had one child together, a boy by the name of Tadi. The boy has never made the venture from Ardya to Westeros, consequently, this foreign connection to the Stark family or their respective Monarchies has never been established. Tadi is believed to have not seen his mother for the remaining twenty years of her life due to her return to the continent, however, reports have claimed he is now a tribal leader. It remains unlikely the ruling class of Westeros will view this relation of close proximity to the Starks as a viable option in the ensuing election for the Iron Throne or for the North when the time arises. 

Arya herself only visited her new found family sparsely following the decade she spent isolated from her Westerosi relations. Upon her return, her presence was shown primarily through quiet and intimate reunions, something the Starks have grown accustomed to. 

Forty years young, the youngest Stark embarked upon a journey around the world. Her later voyage saw her visit the Free Cities, Slavers Bay, Quath, and Asshai. Arya herself maintained avid diary entries of her voyage which have been published. The originals can be located in Oldtown at present. 

Her relations with her siblings remain vague as the years ensued, it was her sister Sansa who she most frequently returned to. It is most likely she sought to use Winterfell as her heart and base - a place she would find herself again once more. This, in contrast to her brothers location in Kings Landing presents the most likely reason the legend of Arya as a figure thrives stronger in her homeland of the North and why record of her visits to the capital falter before she turned fifty. 

Besides her siblings, her only other relative she had access too was her cousin through her aunt, Jon Snow. Raised in close proximity as her brother, historians have reason to believe it was Jon with whom we could expect Arya to gravitate to the most. This was not the case. Whether it be due to his distance North of the Wall, a drift in selves as the years winded on, or circumstance, it simply is clear Jon and Arya never saw each other in person following his conviction. It was not a lost relationship it should be added, for letters from Jon Snow, now Lord Beyond the Wall, can be found suggesting a long and loving correspondence until her death. 

A strong correspondence can also be found with none other than Lord Gendry Baratheon of Storms End, bastard son of King Robert Baratheon, has been unearthed by his daughter highlighting the long and friendly relationship the pair have shared since their wildly unconventional youths. The documents pertain to fond reminiscent memories which even lead to a dinner with wine and scented candles, the pair would have been in their forties. The exact condition of their relationship can be speculative at best and fictionalised at worst. Some have taken to assume an affair was taking place but I find their paths did not insect enough for such an affair to exist. It is most likely the remains of young love under conditions that held them apart. Needless to say both found love from their respective avenues of life. 

And so, the legend of Arya Stark flittered through the decades as she flutters into the pages of history as she sees fit. We may never know of her exact involvement in the extermination of House Fray or whether she ever did obtain the skills of a Faceless Man. She was unchained to Westerosi doctrine and the limitations that domineered many of the other people I hope to explore, especially her siblings we have already delved into. An Hero, an Explorer. 

Her husband died nearly thirty years ago, Gendry Baratheon passed but ten, Arya attended both these vividly differing ceremonies and yet her own was a sombre affair, three years ago, with a mere nine attendees; her siblings Sansa and Brandon, five northern Lords and Ladies, an old man by the name of Hot Pie, and none other than Jon Snow. 

It was a storm that ended the life of a warrior. The night was moonless and a man could not have seen more than half a metre around him, the ship rocked and swayed as the wooden bow began to splinter under the weight of the waves. Perhaps Arya was in leant over her maps, a woman of late sixties, wondering where her next journey would take her next as the ship collided with a rock and tore her life away. Her body has not been recovered. 

I would like to say the last fifty years have been kind to her memory but the nations remembrance of her is as allusive as her existence. A small village, fourteen miles from Winterfell, has a stone statue. Its features already fading with time; in one hand she has a dagger and in the other she holds a telescope up to her eye. The legend of Arya Stark lives on in the shadows and in the memories of those who knew, and remember her.


End file.
